Research that Informs Business and Public Policy- Addicted to Oil: U.S. Gasoline Consumption is Higher than Ever Lucas Davis
- I’m Not Really Down with Most Top Down Evaluations Maximilian Auffhammer
- Is the Regulatory Compact Broken in Sub-Saharan Africa? Catherine Wolfram
- If a Tree Falls in the Forest…Should We Use It to Generate Electricity? Meredith Fowlie
Tag Archives: renewable energy
Is US Climate Policy Killing Nuclear Power?
These are strange times for competitive power markets in the United States. Baseload power plants, many of them nuclear, are reportedly struggling to stay out of the red. About 10 years ago, plants like these were thriving with high wholesale prices set … Continue reading
The Distribution Grid Has Room for More Solar
There is evidence that bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to solar energy projects. Economies of scale suggest large projects would be more cost-effective than small ones. But recently, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) did an analysis of solar … Continue reading
No More Berning of Fossil Fuels
I am currently sitting in my yard enjoying the post El Nino 75 degree weather, while typing away on my locally made (…well invented at least) MacBook which was charged from the highly subsidized solar panels on my roof. I … Continue reading
Double Counting Virtue
If you’ve installed solar at your home and are now basking in the I’m-saving-the-planet warm glow, you may be in for a splash of ice water. There’s a good chance someone else has purchased your halo and is wearing it … Continue reading
Are Clean Energy Tax Credits Equitable?
A new Energy Institute working paper finds that income tax credits for weatherization, solar panels, hybrids, and electric cars go predominantly to higher-income households. Over the last decade, U.S. households have received more than $18 billion in federal income tax … Continue reading
Hawai’i – The Next Frontier
Aloha, dear readers. It’s quiet at the Energy Institute as most of us are out in the field. I just got to spend some time with a number of the world’s smartest economists on Oahu and some vacation time on … Continue reading
Subsidizing renewables for the damage not done
In this divided age, few topics beyond motherhood, apple pie, and the iPhone 6 enjoy widespread public approval. So it is notable that, in a recent Gallup Poll, two out of three Americans support an increased reliance on solar and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged carbon emissions, carbon tax, electricity, renewable energy
23 Comments
The Job Creation Shuffle
Renewable energy proponents and advocates of the Keystone pipeline finally agree on something: that the right way to count “job creation” is to focus narrowly on the jobs in the industry they want to boost and ignore the overall impact … Continue reading
Cross-state power flows complicate the Clean Power Plan
The release of the IPCC Synthesis Report earlier this month underscores the need for swift and aggressive action to combat climate change. With the shifting control of Congress, answering that call becomes more of an uphill battle. Image source One … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged climate change, emissions, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas (GHG), renewable energy
5 Comments
Renewable integration challenges create demand response opportunities
The power grid is getting greener. The graph below summarizes EIA projections of U.S. non-hydro electricity generation under different assumptions about greenhouse gas regulations, fuel prices, and technology costs: Source: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=16051 Although there is some debate over whether these EIA … Continue reading
